Motorists across Ghana are facing fuel shortages as two major Oil Marketing Companies, GOIL PLC and Star Oil, have announced disruptions in supply linked to technical difficulties with the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).
In separate public notices, both companies explained that the ICUMS platform—used to process tax liabilities and documentation for lifting petroleum products—has been down since late last week. The outage has prevented OMCs from loading petroleum products from depots, leading to shortages at service stations.
GOIL’s Group CEO and Managing Director, Edward Abambire Bawa, expressed regret over the inconvenience, assuring customers that the company is actively engaging relevant authorities to resolve the issue. “We sincerely empathize with our customers and transport operators who depend on our products daily,” the statement read.
Star Oil also sought to reassure customers, stressing that the shortages were not due to hoarding or anticipation of a price increase. The company explained that its high sales volumes per station make it more vulnerable to supply disruptions, but pledged to resume lifting and restocking once the ICUMS system is restored.
The twin announcements have heightened public concern, with queues forming at some stations and fears of wider disruption if the system outage persists. Industry observers note that the incident underscores the critical role of ICUMS in Ghana’s petroleum supply chain and the vulnerability of OMCs when such platforms experience downtime.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the outage, but OMCs say they are hopeful that normal supply will resume soon.
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